Follow up to Vail Resorts Purchase of Mountain News Corp

Back in May, there were some ripples after Vail Resorts announced that it was acquiring Mountain News Corp – see my post on the purchase and some of the comments it got. However, I recently browsed upon a Conduct Protocol which was published in Vail Resorts Corporate Blog that puts concerns about the two companies editorial or advertising becoming unfairly intermingled to rest. It goes straight to the point with the first item of the protocol stating:

MNC will treat Vail Resorts’ hotels, resorts, businesses and properties (“VR Properties”) in the same manner it treats businesses that are competitive with Vail Resorts (“VR Competitors”).

This seems pretty clear cut to me and the rest of the compact goes into further detail as to how the two companies will continue to act as separate entities. Read this Conduct Protocol for yourself and I’m interested to hear if anyone thinks this could be interpreted otherwise.